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Jake Walsh

Braves Sign Jake Walsh To Minor League Deal

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The Braves and right-hander Jake Walsh are in agreement on a minor league deal, according to the transactions section of the righty’s MLB.com player page. The deal includes an invite to big league Spring Training.

Walsh, 28, was a 16th-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2017 draft and began his professional career as a starter before moving to the bullpen full time back in 2021. Between the 2021 and ’22 seasons, Walsh impressed at both the Double- and Triple-A levels with a combined 2.17 ERA and a whopping 37% strikeout, though he was limited to just 40 frames during that time by a pair of lengthy trips to the injured list. 2 2/3 of those 40 frames came in the big leagues as Walsh got his first taste of major league action with a 3-game cup of coffee in May of 2022, though he allowed four runs on three hits and two walks across that trio of appearances.

Uninspiring big league debut aside, Walsh’s dominance since converting to the bullpen seemed to leave him poised for big things headed into the 2023 campaign. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way as Walsh struggled to a 5.28 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work this past year. His strikeout rate plummeted to just 23.9% while his walk rate ballooned from an elevated but manageable 11.1% in 2022 to a ghastly 16.2% figure. Those pronounced struggles led the Cardinals to place Walsh on the injured list shortly before granting him his unconditional release back in July in order to open up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster.

Walsh did not catch on with another club for the remainder of the 2023 campaign, but now joins the Braves with a chance to compete for a job on the big league staff this spring. The Atlanta bullpen appears to be mostly set in stone for the time being with Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, and Reynaldo Lopez as the club’s top high-leverage arms with the likes of Tyler Matzek, Joe Jimenez, Aaron Bummer, and Pierce Johnson on tap to cover the middle innings.

With that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Walsh make himself into the club’s top depth option behind the current group given the considerable talent the right-hander flashed after first converting to full-time relief work, particularly if he manages to put whatever injury he suffered last summer behind him. Walsh will have plenty of competition among fellow non-roster invitees such as Ken Giles, Ben Bowden, and Grant Holmes when Spring Training begins later this month, not to mention the presence of arms like Daysbel Hernandez and Ray Kerr who are currently slated to act as optionable relief depth on the 40-man roster.

Cardinals Select Taylor Motter

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The Cardinals announced this morning that the club had selected the contract of infielder Taylor Motter. Infielder Jose Fermin was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Motter on the active roster while the club granted right-hander Jake Walsh his unconditional release, a move that opened a 40-man roster spot for Motter.

A 17th-round selection by the Rays in the 2011 draft, the 33 year old Motter has played for seven MLB clubs since making his debut with Tampa back in 2016. Motter has never hit well at the big league level, with a career .191/.263/.309 slash line in 468 career plate appearances. That being said, the veteran journeyman does offer a great deal of versatility. Across his six seasons in the big leagues, Motter has appeared at every position on the diamond except for center field and catcher. He’s even taken the mound previously in his career, with 1 1/3 innings of work to his name as a pitcher.

With Motter seemingly poised to take over as the club’s big league utility option in the infield, Fermin is headed back to Triple-A. The 24-year-old rookie made his big league debut with the Cardinals earlier this month, though it hasn’t gone well to this point. In five games with the big league club, Fermin has slashed just .091/.167/.091 while chipping in at both second and third base. Fermin, who came to St. Louis in a cash deal with the Guardians last November, has an uninspiring career slash line of .216/.337/.338 at the Triple-A level, though he’s still a potentially valuable utility option given his solid glove all around the infield.

Making room for Motter on the 40-man roster is Walsh, a 16th-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2017 draft. Walsh, 28, made his MLB debut for the Cardinals last year, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five in 2 2/3 innings of work. That difficult start to his big league career seems to have carried over into his performance at the Triple-A level, where he’s posted a 5.28 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work this season.

In addition to Walsh’s struggles at the big league level, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat indicates that health may have been a factor in the club’s decision to release Walsh, as the right-hander had just been placed on the minor league injured list with a nerve issue in his arm. Now on the open market, Walsh figures to look for a new club with whom he can rehab his current injury and attempt to work his way back to the majors.

Cardinals Place Corey Dickerson On 10-Day Injured List

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The Cardinals placed outfielder Corey Dickerson on the 10-day injured list due to a left calf strain.  Right-hander Jake Walsh was called up from Triple-A to take the open spot on the active roster, and in another move, Jake Woodford was also optioned back to Triple-A after serving as the 27th man for yesterday’s doubleheader.

Dickerson left the first game of that doubleheader in the second inning, so it isn’t surprising that he’ll now head to the IL.  The injury adds to what has been a rough season for Dickerson, as he has hit only .194/.245/.286 over 106 plate appearances since signing a one-year, $5MM free agent in March.  In a cruel twist of fate, Dickerson’s injury comes just a day after his best performance in a St. Louis uniform, as Dickerson hit his first two home runs of the season in Friday’s 14-5 win over the Cubs.

While Dickerson’s absence leaves the Cardinals more shorthanded in the outfield, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson could be back from their own IL stints within a few days.  Brendan Donovan has also emerged as a multi-position option, and Lars Nootbaar is on hand to more specifically fill Dickerson’s role as a left-handed complement within a largely right-handed lineup.  Tommy Edman could also factor into the outfield picture when not playing shortstop, and Albert Pujols could get more DH at-bats against right-handed pitching while Dickerson is out.

Cardinals Release T.J. Zeuch

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TODAY: Zeuch has been released, the Cardinals announced.

MAY 21: The Cardinals announced a handful of roster moves prior to tonight’s game. Left-hander Matthew Liberatore, whose imminent promotion was reported yesterday, has now officially had his contract selected. To make room on the active roster, righty Jake Walsh has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Fellow righty T.J. Zeuch has been designated for assignment to open up a spot for Liberatore on the 40-man roster.

The Blue Jays selected Zeuch 21st overall in the 2016 draft, with Zeuch then landing at #8 among Toronto prospects the next year, according to Baseball America. However, his prospect stock faded as he climbed the ranks of the minors, dropping to #12 in the system in 2018 and #24 in 2019. BA’s reports on Zeuch noted that his primary pitch, a sinker, was good at generating ground balls, but that Zeuch lacked a strikeout pitch, as his curveball and slider were mediocre.

Those reports have largely proved astute as Zeuch has faced more talented hitters. Over 2019-2021 with the Blue Jays, he threw 49 innings at the big league level, generating worm burners at a decent 50.9% clip but a paltry 14.1% strikeout rate. The blue birds designated him for assignment in July of last year and traded him to the red birds for cash considerations.

After the trade last year, Zeuch threw 38 1/3 innings for Memphis with a 4.93 ERA, 65.7% grounder rate and 21.6% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, things have soured so far this year, as Zeuch has an unsightly 11.64 ERA through 19 1/3 frames. He hasn’t even been getting ground balls at his customary pace, slipping to 36.8%.

The Cardinals will now have a week to trade him or expose him to waivers. It’s possible that a team in need of pitching depth could write off this year’s struggles as a small sample blip and take a shot on him, given his former first-round pedigree. He’s still  just 26 years old and is in his final option year, meaning he could be stashed in Triple-A for emergencies.

Cardinals Select Three Players

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The Cardinals announced this afternoon they’ve added three players — right-handers Jake Walsh and Freddy Pacheco and utilityman Brendan Donovan — to the 40-man roster. The moves keep all three players from being taken in the Rule 5 draft. The club’s 40-man roster now sits at 36.

Walsh was the Cardinals’ 16th-round pick in 2017 out of a Florida junior college. The 26-year-old spent some time as a starter early in his pro career but worked exclusively out of the bullpen in 2021. Injuries limited Walsh to 17 appearances between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis this year, but he combined for a 2.86 ERA across 22 frames at the minors’ top two levels. Walsh, whom Baseball America credits with a 95-97 MPH fastball, punched out a whopping 38.6% of batters faced. He could be a big league bullpen option in 2022.

Pacheco, 23, is also strictly a reliever. A former amateur signee out of Venezuela, Pacheco traversed three levels of the minors this past season, topping out in Triple-A. Overall, he combined for a 3.67 ERA and struck out an incredible 44% of opponents. Pacheco’s 13.4% walk percentage is alarming, but that swing-and-miss capability makes him an intriguing bullpen flier. BA ranked the 5’11” righty the #29 prospect in the organization midseason, lauding his fastball’s ability to get whiffs at the top of the strike zone.

Donovan was a 7th-rounder in 2018 out of South Alabama. The left-handed hitter has posted above-average numbers all the way up the minor league ladder while playing all over the diamond (with the bulk of that time at second and third base). Donovan hasn’t hit for a ton of power, but he’s drawn plenty of walks while rarely striking out over the course of his career. Like Pacheco, he rose from High-A to Triple-A this year, posting a cumulative .304/.399/.455 line over 459 plate appearances. BA ranked Donovan fifteenth in the St. Louis system midseason. He could be a bat-first utility option for the big league club as soon as next season.

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